Adult Bible Study Guide Jan Feb Mar 2015 Adult Bible Study Guide Jan Feb Mar 2015 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente

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Proverbs Our Goal From the book of Proverbs we will learn how to be wise, but correctly, in practical ways. Wisdom isn’t necessarily intellectual might. The prerequisite for wisdom is, instead, to be humble, to feel our need and then to seek for wisdom.

Proverbs Contents 1 The Call of Wisdom 2 From Ears to Feet 3 A Matter of Life and Death 4 Divine Wisdom 5 The Blessings of the Righteous 6 What You Get Is Not What You See 7 Dealing With Fights 8 Words of Wisdom 9 Words of Truth 10 Behind the Mask 11 Living by Faith 12 The Humility of the Wise 13 Women and Wine

Proverbs Lesson 7, February 14 Proverbs Lesson 7, February 14 Dealing With Fights

Key Text Proverbs 17:1 NKJV “ Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.”

Dealing With Fights Initial Words T ENSION and misery. The first step to solve this problem is to recognize what our priorities are: peaceful relation- ships (Prov. 17:1). What counts is not so much what we have but who we are within ourselves. The advice that follows will help in restoring this priority and lead us toward an inner peace that will add to our happiness.

Dealing With Fights Quick Look 1. By Loving Truly (Proverbs 17: 9 and 10) 2. By Speaking Carefully (Proverbs 18:2, 4, 13, 21) 3. By Speaking Carefully (Proverbs 19:1, 9, 22)

Dealing With Fights 1. By Loving Truly Proverbs 17:9 and 10 NKJV “ H e who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.”

1. By Loving Truly Covering Sin We are advised to “cover” the mistake. This is not to hide the sin, to act as if it never happened, as if the person never did wrong. The sin that is covered is still present, even though hidden. The Hebrew word for “cover” has the specific connotation of “forgiving” (Ps. 85:2). Love, not gossip, should be our response to someone else’s mistake.

1. By Loving Truly Rebuking Sin True love is not blind. That we “cover” someone’s mistake through love does not mean that we do not recognize sin as such. Love and justice go together. The Hebrew word for “justice,” zedeq, also means “love,” “charity.” We cannot have real compassion if we are not just, and we cannot be just if we do not have compassion and love.

Dealing With Fights 2. By Speaking Carefully Proverbs 18:2, 4, 13, 21 NKJV “ A fool has no delight in under- standing, but in expressing his own heart. The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters.... He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat it fruit.”

2. By Speaking Carefully Words Are Powerful W E are again confronted with the reality and power of words. They can be a force for good or evil, even life and death. How easy it is to speak out before carefully listening and discerning what has been said to us. There is indeed a time when silence is the best response.

2. By Speaking Carefully Words May Not Be Absolute Fools are so sure of themselves and so eager to express their own opinions that they are not interested in learning from others. Their closed minds go along with their open mouths.

2. By Speaking Carefully Words May Not Be Absolute We need some humility, in that none of us has all the right answers. Even when our answers are right, truth is often deeper and more nuanced than we can appreciate or understand.

Dealing With Fights 3. By Speaking Truthfully Proverbs 19:1, 9, 22 NKJV “ B etter is the poor who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips, that is a fool. A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish. What is desired in a man is kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar.”

3. By Speaking Truthfully High Ethical Standard A S sinners, lying comes to us easier than we think; for this reason, how careful we need to be with our words. It is better to remain poor, or even to lose a promotion, if we have to lie in order to get it, if we have to sacrifice our integrity (Prov. 19:1), if we have to cheat, or if it comes at the price of faithfulness (vs. 22).

3. By Speaking Truthfully High Ethical Standard Lying in court and under oath is even worse. Perjury is a crime, and a serious one at that. The witness must therefore give a truthful testimony. Witnesses must not be influenced by bribes or by the social status of those they are testifying about.

Dealing With Fights Final Words “T he spirit of gossip and talebearing is one of Satan’s special agencies to sow discord and strife, to separate friends, and to undermine the faith of many in the truthfulness of our positions. Brethren and sisters are too ready to talk of the faults and errors that they think exist in others....” —Testimonies for the Church 4:195.