Proverbs 1:10-16

“Watch the Company You Keep”

Introduction: What a familiar phrase told many of us by our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, church mothers and fathers, and other caring adults—Watch the Company You Keep.  The few weeks will be given to some of the Proverbs of Solomon, deemed as the “wisest man whoever lived.”  The purpose of the sermon today will be to examine the warning given by this wise man regarding bad company. 

          The purpose of the book of Proverbs is stated in the prologue of Proverbs (the first 6 or 7 verses).  Its purpose is to know wisdom.  Proverbs was written to “give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discussion to the young.”  The acquisition of wisdom would prevent one from falling into the pitfalls of folly. 

          Proverbs is a practical book that deals with the art of skillful living, it bases its practical wisdom solidly on the FEAR OF THE LORD.  If you want to know the art of living skillfully study the Bible.  (illustration: after the oil was changed on the car the signals indicated that it still needed changing; I kept hitting certain buttons thinking that it would delete or change the signal indicating the need to change the oil.  After much frustration and procrastination, I looked in the glove compartment for the owner’s manual.  I followed the instructions in the manual and the signal went away.  I could have avoided the frustration and the procrastination by just reading and following the directives in the owner’s manual.)  This is what we will do now, look at the owner’s manual regarding bad company.

I.                  Warning Concerning Bad Company (v.10)

·        Entice means to persuade, seduce or deceive

·        Do not consent (yield, accept, give in to them) to their counsel

II.               Danger of Bad Company (vv.11-14)

·        The desire to entice and tempt to do those things that are opposed to God’s word.

·        (vv.11-14) Attempt to oppress and exploit the innocent.  (illustration) That is the trick of the enemy/satan from the beginning to tempt God’s people to disobey God.

·        The sinner forgets to tell you about the cost of sin.

III.           Solution to Bad Company (vv.15-16)

·        (v.10) Don’t listen to them

·        (v.15) Don’t walk with them, don’t go along with them; many fall prey to going along to get along, but a believer should not do this.

·        Cp. Ps. 119:101, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.”

Conclusion: (reiterate the points.  Jesus had to watch the company he kept, he had to tell them every now and then, “get thee behind me satan.”  In fact, his company deserted him when the water got hot.  Fact of the matter, he was on the cross alone as the only innocent one.